Monday, December 31, 2007

OK--so it's not all about the beach. We traveled to Colorado Springs in May to attend the High School graduation of our nephew. And we do love the mountains (although the scuba can be a bit tough). This picture encompasses two of the sights--Garden of the Gods (in the foreground) and Pike's Peak. The clouds in the sky add to complete the scene. I'm not sure a cloudless sky would have worked better. Everyone needs to get a Rocky Mountain high sometime and there's no better place than Colorado Springs. I cannot fathom what people see about Denver--it is a big city with big city traffic and congestion. But the Springs still retains some of the foothills charm that makes it a great place to visit and, according to my brother-in-law, a great place to live. Though the beaches can be a bit rocky and the water sure is colder than Florida!

I know this day--it is the saddest day of the year and it is the day when the fun of summer melts away into the drudgery of work again. And that is my love standing, silhouetted in the predawn light on the beach of Jupiter Island. I remember the mosquitoes--they were eating me alive (I forgot bug spray) but I also remember the dragonflys racing along the beach consuming as many mosquitoes as possible. From this awesome beginning we ended the day on the Autotrain enroute to Lorton, VA. My mind always returns to this beach when I needs to find my "happy place."

I love this beach. It is almost never like this, but on this day in early July the seas were rough and the waves were crashing on the rocks. It was beautiful, although it was too rough to swim. This beach is on Jupiter Island and on a good day during the summer there may be two or three other people enjoying the ocean. It is a great place to snorkel--we usually see lots of fish and often some Nurse sharks. This summer, though, and we were there the entire month of July, we did not see any sharks off this beach. I had the opportunity to scuba with Patrick, my son, off this beach and it was a lot of fun. Not too deep--about 15 feet, but a great assortment of things to see.

Sunday, December 30, 2007

This picture was taken from near the table we were sitting at for dinner at the Islamorada Fish Company on April 1, 2007. Chris and I had spent the day in Key West enjoying the sights of the town and sand of the beaches. We were on our way back to Key Largo where we had rented a small efficiency apartment and stopped for dinner at sunset. The day was warm and the evening was fabulous. The sunset over the water was stunning. Chris took this picture. She has a great eye and the memories it evokes make me warm and happy every time I remember that evening and our trip.

Saturday, December 29, 2007

So this was one of my favorites. I took it while visiting Key Largo in April 2007, on a nature walk. Yes, I should have been SCUBA diving, but I needed some time on shore, too. We, Chris and I, went to the bird sanctuary and took some really great shots and this one is one of my favorites. I really like the reflection in the water.

Wow--So I have decided to Blog! Who really cares about the stuff I think about anyway. But, we'll see. It has been a good year and this will be a great way to document the year ahead. I'm thinking about doing a year in review in pictures which should be really fun.